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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. suit — clothes
  3. mate — to breed
  4. mate — a friend
  5. pop — to visit
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. net — for catching
  8. wind — moving air
  9. wind — moving air
  10. pop — music
  11. suit — in cards
  12. perch — the fish
  13. net — in sport
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. mate — a partner
  17. pop — soda
  18. stem — to come from
  19. suit — to fit
  20. pitch — completely
  21. net — after costs
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. pitch — a sports field

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com